Discussion tools A police and human rights trainer’s manual 15 ideas to encourage police officers...

7/29/2019 Discussion tools A police and human rights trainers manual 15 ideas to encourage police officers to reflect

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Discussion tools

A police and human rights trainers manual

15 ideas to encourage police officers to reflecton human rights issues

Anneke Osse


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The illustrations attached in the Appendix are the creation of the artist GeraldMangan.

Discussion Tools was developed as part of a joint project between the Councilof Europe and the Constitutional and Legal Policy Institute (COLPI) to createa Russian language version of the Trainers Supply Kit. Publication of thismanual has been made possible by a generous voluntary contribution from thegovernment of Ireland.

This publication has been prepared at the request of the Council of EuropePolice and Human Rights 1997-2000 programme. The opinions expressed are

those of the author acting on the guidelines of the programme and do notengage the responsibility of the organisation. This publication should not beregarded as placing on the legal instruments mentioned in it any official inter-pretation capable of binding the governments of member states, the Council ofEuropes statutory organs or any organ set up by virtue of the instruments inquestion.


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This manual is part of a package of human rights training materials devel-oped by the Police and Human Rights 1997-2000 programme whichincludes:

1) A Manual for Police Managers.2) Discussion Tools for trainers.3) A Reference Brochure for police officers.4) A Pamphlet for Police.5) A video introduction to Police and Human Rights.6) A guide to assist police to combat violence against women and children,

including trafficking (VIP Guide)7) A guide Is your police service a Human Rights Champion?

For further information or to obtain publications contact:

The Human Rights Information CentreDirectorate General of Human Rights DG IICouncil of EuropeF-67075 Strasbourg CEDEXFranceTel: +33 (0)3 88 41 20 24Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 04E-mail: [email protected]

Alternatively those with an interest in police and human rights can consulta special Council of Europe web site created by the Police and Human Rights1997-2000 programme at: www.humanrights.coe.int/police


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5

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................

Introduction and guide to the manual .................................................................

Discussion as part of training ...................................................................................

The Tools

1. The Role of the Police I .................................................................................

2. The Role of the Police II ................................................................................

3. Video: Lets be Careful Out There .................................................................

4. Is the Police a Force or a Service? .................................................................5. Associations ............................................................................................................

6. Playing Advocate ..................................................................................................

7. Why violate Human Rights? ............................................................................

8. Can Violations be justified? .............................................................................

9. Role Reversal ..........................................................................................................

10. Stereotypes ..............................................................................................................

11. Talk to the Customer ..........................................................................................12. Cartoons ...................................................................................................................

13. Real Life ....................................................................................................................

14. Dilemmas .................................................................................................................

15. Press Conference ..................................................................................................

Appendix

Illustrations to be used with Tool 12 ....................................................................

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11

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31

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41

45

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4951

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That this trainers manual of discussion topics now exists, is thanks to the ini-tiative of Anita Hazenberg, Manager of the Council of Europe programmePolice and Human Rights 1997-2000, who had the original idea and ArieBloed of the Constitutional and Legal Policy Institute (COLPI), who gave hissupport to the project. I wish to thank both organisations for giving me therare opportunity to work through what is a difficult, sometimes confronta-tional subject.

I should also like to thank Irina Safronova, who co-ordinated the six-monthproject to develop the Trainers Supply Kit in the Russian language, for herenthusiasm and support throughout the process of developing the discus-sion topics. In addition, it should not be forgotten that it is one thing to setall ones ideas down on paper, but quite another to put them together inprintable form. For this reason my thanks go to Linda McQue-Michael, of theCouncil of Europe programme Police and Human Rights 1997-2000 for thetime and effort she devoted to editing this manual prior to publication.

It has given me enormous pleasure to work on this manual of discussiontopics and I hope they will prove to be an invaluable addition to many policeand human rights training programmes. I hope that all trainers who usethem will have a reflective, interactive and dynamic training experience. Anyfeedback on their use, including suggestions for improvement or ideas fornew topics, will be warmly received by the author.

ANNEKE OSSE, MA PsychologyNetherlands Police Academy

Apeldoorn

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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The lack of country-specific, police-targeted human rights training materialsavailable to police services in Europe was identified by the Council of Europeprogramme Police and Human Rights 1997-2000 and by other intergovern-

mental and non-governmental organisations working in the field, as one ofthe major obstacles to the development of police and human rights projects.

The need to rectify this situation became one of the programmes priorities,after its launch in December 1997. The first step was the development of aWorkbook for trainers. The Workbook for Practice-Oriented Teaching pro-poses an innovative approach to human rights training for police, that ofrelating theory to practice. It achieves this by means of country-specific casestudies and this has made it a readily adaptable teaching resource for use inother member States of the Council of Europe. This is usually carried out by

small working groups of police officers who create a version which is uniqueto policing in their own country.

This manual of Discussion Tools was originally developed as part of a jointproject between the Council of Europe and the Constitutional and LegalPolice Institute (COLPI) to create a package of training materials in theRussian language known as the Trainers Supply Kit. The manual of discus-sion topics was designed as a supplementary teaching resource to theRussian Workbook, with the aim of encouraging reflection and self-exami-nation through discussion. In using this manual, the trainers role is to guide

the discussion and to allow students to become active participants in theirown learning and that of each other. Research has shown that an attitudechange is more likely as the result of a discussion than a lecture.

Knowledge of the European Convention on Human Rights as well as otherinternational human rights standards and how they relate to police work isan essential part of training, but this alone is not enough. Theory must beaccompanied by skills development. The police officer must learn to evalu-ate his/her own behaviour and decisions. What values guide his/her behav-iour? Why does s/he behave the way s/he does? Are some human rights

more important than others? Why? What are the reasons for this choice?Consideration of such questions, leads to a better understanding of onesown motives, behaviour and attitudes, essential if any change in these is tobe achieved.

Whilst still under development, the tools were presented at the mid-termconference of the Police and Human Rights 1997-2000 programme in June1999, in Strasbourg. The highly positive comments and suggestions from thefloor have been integrated into this final version. They were then put to thetest on two occasions. The first time was in Budapest in June 1999, at a sem-

inar on the development of the Russian version of the Workbook and thesecond time was in July 1999 in St. Petersburg for students of the St.Petersburg Police Academy. It soon became clear that the discussion topicsachieved their purpose; the participants became active and eager to com-municate their thoughts.

INTRODUCTION AND GUIDE TO THE MANUAL

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Guide to the manual

Discussion Tools is a teaching resource designed to supplement the theo-

retical training of human rights for police officers and it is designed for easeof use by those responsible for carrying out human rights training for policeofficers, hereafter referred to as the trainer. The trainer can select whichevertopics are most appropriate in his/her own judgement. Not all the tools haveto be used and, in principal, they can be used in any order (exceptions arenoted).

There are 15 discussion topics in total, each laid out in the following way:

Name. Every topic is given a name for easy reference. The numberassigned to it is arbitrary.

Aim. This will assist the trainer in planning when to use a particular tool.

Procedure. The author suggests how best to use the discussion topic in atraining situation. There are no hard and fast rules. Just as each trainerdelivers the same knowledge in a different manner, so his/her presenta-tion of a topic for discussion will be a personal one. To someone withoutany experience of this methodology however, the suggested procedure isa good starting point.

When to use the tool. This is a recommendation only, the final decisionis left to the individual trainer.

Timing. Again this is only a guideline to assist with planning.

Resources. Essentially, discussions require very few additional resources,making them easy to use almost anywhere. Those resources that are reallyvital are indicated to assist with preparation.

Alternative suggestions. This demonstrates the versatility of the toolsand how they can be used several times in several different ways.

Conclusion. This is the desirable outcome of the discussion. However, notall groups may be able to arrive at this point by themselves. It is up to thetrainer to guide the group towards it.

Possible misconceptions. This section anticipates possible problems and

suggest ways of dealing with them.

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In order to quickly accustom students to the idea of discussion as a form oflearning, it must be integrated into their training from the outset. Until thestudents have become comfortable with the teacher and with each other, itis advisable to choose a less difficult and challenging subject to begin with.The level of challenge can then be increased gradually. Once the studentshave become accustomed to participating in discussions, they can be initi-ated at any point during theoretical training that the trainer considers appro-priate.

The role of the trainer

It is the responsibility of the trainer to create an atmosphere which facilitatesthe free expression of thoughts and views by the students during a discus-

sion. In order to do so, the trainer should consider the following:

1. The trainer must start as s/he means to go on as this will be the role thestudents expect from him/her during the rest of training.

2. The trainer is there to guide the discussion and not to participate in it andshould therefore avoid the use of I think, I find, I believe etc. Thetrainers opinion is not important and can in fact be detrimental to the dis-cussion, giving the student the impression that because it is expressed bythe trainer it must be the right one when, in fact, all opinions are valid.

3. The trainer needs to exercise good communication skills such as sum-marising different views, asking for clarification, checking understandingand listening carefully to what is being said. Some useful ways to stimu-late the discussion are:

I have heard that some people say ..What do you think of that?

Suppose instead of x it was y, would that influence your views?

The trainer can also comment on the groups reactions:

I notice that when x said .some of you became restless. Why?

A lot of you seem to disagree. Can you say why?

The trainer should try not to ask questions which invite a simple yes orno answer.

4. Great care must be taken to stimulate active participation by all membersof the group and to reassure them that all opinions are relevant.Addressing a hitherto silent student by name and asking their opiniondirectly often assists them to participate more actively.

5. Discussions are a free exchange of opinions and ideas and not about indi-

viduals personal feelings. If necessary the trainer should intervene withCould you formulate it in such a way that we can discuss it? Studentsshould feel free to express their opinions in the knowledge that what issaid inside the classroom is completely confidential, therefore this shouldbe agreed upon by all the participants at the outset of the training course.

DISCUSSION AS PART OF THE TRAINING

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6. A discussion does not usually end with a right or wrong answer, althoughit may result in a consensus of opinion. Individuals are entitled to keeptheir own opinion but they must be prepared to defend it.

7. The Discussion Tools are to be used at the discretion of the trainer as ameans to facilitate discussion and should therefore be adapted to theneeds of the group.

8. Although an expert in the subject matter, the trainers principle role is toguide the discussion (setting time limits, managing the classroom) tobring the students to a better understanding of human rights in theirwork. This is something which cannot be achieved through the traditionalstudent-lecturer relationship.

It is fully expected that each trainer will use these tools to complementhis/her own methodology.

Optimal conditions for discussions

In a discussion it is preferable to have a small group of people if all are tohave the opportunity to contribute. In a class of 12-16 participants, dis-cussion is still possible but if the class is larger than this, or if the traineris concerned that not all feel able to participate in a large group, thensmall groups can be organised. Each group then appoints a spokespersonto report back on their discussion to the rest of the class and the results

are compared. This requires good class management skills on behalf of thetrainer but results in more participants expressing their views in less timethan an open class situation.

Seating arrangements are very important to create the right atmospherefor an interchange of views. A large group should be seated in a semicir-cle with the trainer at the open end, facing all the participants.Alternatively, small groups can form small circles and in this case, thetrainer must be free to move from one group to the other, monitoringprogress and assisting where necessary. In both situations, participantsshould still have the means to take notes, even if this means that desks

must be used. Use could be made of a video camera (depending on the resources avail-able), particularly in the role-play situation. It can be very effective for par-ticipants to actually see how they expressed their views. However, not allwill feel comfortable with this medium. The trainer should be aware ofthis aspect. It is important to remind participants that all tapes will bedestroyed after use.

The availability of a video recorder would permit the use of the Councilof Europe introductory police and human rights video entitled Lets beCareful Out There! Police and Human Rights. As its purpose is to serve as

an introduction to human rights in policing, it would logically be mosteffective if used near the beginning of training.

In this manual, there is only one optional requirement for an overheadprojector (Tool 12). However, if one is available it can be used to enhanceboth theoretical training as well as discussions, due to the added visible

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dimension. The trainer can use it in place of a flip chart, whilst the partic-ipants themselves could use it to report back on small group discussions,for example.

Developing a training course

The trainer can make use of the other training materials produced by thePolice and Human Rights 1997-2000 programme as an aid to developinghis/her own police and human rights training course.

An important aspect to consider is the time-frame. A typical training courseneeds between 3 and 10 days depending on the group and their level ofhuman rights experience. Another idea could be to split a training courseinto two parts. After a short course of a few days, the participants return to

normal duties with an assignment to complete, such as observing behaviourat work that has a positive human rights aspect as well as identifying differ-ent kinds of human rights violations in practice. When they come togetheragain, perhaps a month later, their observations can be used as the core ofanother short course.

The trainer should try to raise awareness of police and human rights train-ing by inviting contributions to the training course from other interestedparties. It is a good idea to involve appropriate non-governmental organisa-tions (NGOs), for example. Their representatives could also be invited toactively participate in some aspects of the training by giving presentations,

leading discussions etc. Participants themselves may be able to contributeto the development of a training course. Inviting their comments andsuggestions on completion of the course, by means of an evaluation form,could help to identify areas of weakness and improvement.

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THE TOOLS


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Aim

This tool invites participants to think about the basic role of a police service.

The results of this discussion will serve as a framework for the entire train-ing and will serve as a reference point for future discussions about theimportance of a police service which holds the public trust.

When to use this tool

At an early stage of the course, preferably at the beginning.

Procedure

The trainer asks participants the following question:

What is the role of a police service?Everyone has to give an answer here. The trainer should not be satisfied withanswers such as To obey the law, which are clearly insufficient. If the par-ticipants are very inexperienced, it may be that they need further thought-provoking questions before they can give an answer. In this case, answers arebest given orally. If preferred, they can be written on pieces of paper, whichare then collected.The trainer writes the answers on a flip chart and invitesthe participants to award points to each answer. All the participants have 5points to award. All 5 points can be given to one answer, or they can bedivided between different answers. Points are totalled alongside the answers.

The 5 most important answers are recorded on a separate flip chart, whichcan be put on the wall of the classroom. This flip chart should remain visi-ble throughout the rest of the course to be referred to by the trainer, whenappropriate.

Timing

Between 30 and 60 minutes.

Resources

Flip chart Markers

Tape

In case these materials are not available the answers can be written on ablackboard. In this case participants should be asked to write them in theirnotebooks as well. The trainer should also record them for future reference.

Alternative suggestions

Another way to use this tool is to ask all the participants to sit in a circle.

They take a piece of paper and write three answers on it. They then fold thepaper and pass it to the left. Everyone reads the answers of the person ontheir right, they cross out the one they do not agree with and add a newanswer. If they think the list is all right they leave it as it is. They fold it againand pass it to the left. This continues until everyone has their original piece

1. THE ROLE OF THE POLICE I

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of paper. The trainer then asks everybody to read aloud what is written ontheir papers. Probably by now the answers will all be roughly the same. Thetrainer categorises them, together with the participants, until the most

important answers are collected. Then continue as above.

Conclusion

The answers should be along the lines of:

to maintain public order

to investigate crime

to bring suspects to justice

to keep the peace and maintain stability

to give help to those who need it to protect the vulnerable

Possible misconceptions

In case participants give answers about the role of a police service which arenot true or which, if not dealt with, can have a negative effect on the train-ing, the trainer should ask further questions. Possible problem areas are:

to find the criminal

In case of a crime, the job of the police is to find the suspect, the judge willdecide whether the suspect is the criminal (the one who committed thecrime).

The trainer asks:

What is a criminal?

Who decides whether someone is a criminal?

to punish the criminal

It is the judge who punishes the suspect. Not the police.

The trainer asks:

Who decides on the judicial aspects of a crime?

Who decides on punishment?

Who carries out the punishment?

get a confession

An investigating officer has to try to find the truth.

The trainer asks:

Who might confess?

What is the aim of police work? (truthfinding)

This might be a confession. What happens if the wrong person con-fesses? (the real criminal is still on the street)

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Aim

This exercise is meant to reflect upon the specific position of police officers.

The police have more powers granted under the law than civilians, in orderto carry out their duty. The aim of this tool is to discuss these powers andwhy they are given to the police. Their abuse often results in human rightsviolations.


This exercise can serve as a follow-up to the Role of the Police Iexercise.However, it can also be used at a later stage.

Procedure

The trainer asks the group the following question:

What makes the police different to civilians?

All the participants are asked to take a piece of paper and take some time togive an answer. This can be done individually. After 5 minutes, the trainerasks everybody what their answers are, one by one. These answers are col-lected on the blackboard or on a flip chart. If necessary, participants areasked to explain their answer.

Having done this, all participants are asked to react to what is written on the

blackboard. All reactions are welcome. This must result in a consensus ofopinion.

Timing


Resources

blackboard

chalk

or: flip chart

markers


The exercise can also be done as described in the Role of the Police I exer-cise. When the exercise is done at a later stage in the training, after partici-pants have become accustomed to discussions, the trainer can simply ask theparticipants the question and discuss it straight away.

Conclusion

This question should generate an answer which contains the legal powerswhich police officers can use to carry out their duties (eg. arresting someone,using force etc.). However, they can only use these powers when there is a

2. THE ROLE OF THE POLICE II

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legal basis for it. In a democratic society, powers are given to the police underthe law. The public trusts the police not to abuse the use of their powers. Ifthey do so, the general belief in justice is damaged. In extreme cases there is

a risk that civilians will use their own form of justice.


Theres no difference between police officers and civilians

The trainer asks:

Then why do police officers wear a uniform? This should provoke theanswer that they have to be recognisable.

Why? etc.

Answers along the lines that police officers need to behave more ethicallythan civilians should be discussed in more depth:

Why? Because of our special position.

What position? etc.

It is also possible that the participants will give answers which mentionpowers the police do not actually have (for example breaking into a house inorder to take a look), or powers which are general and not just for the police(in some countries a civilian can arrest someone if they catch the offenderin the act).

The trainer has to be very alert and deal with possible misconceptionsstraight away. This can be done through questions, but the trainer can alsorefer to the relevant laws. It is advisable to have a copy of these to hand.

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Aim

To give a light, easy introduction to human rights and policing.


It is advisable to use this tool at the beginning of a training course, or imme-diately following The Role of the Police I and II.

Procedure

This video gives a human rights dimension to policing as well as a picture ofthe work of the Council of Europe in the field of human rights.

Before viewing

The trainer can ask the question:

What do you already know about human rights?

The trainer can write ideas on a flip chart. This can then be followed by amore specific question:

What do you know about human rights and policing?Again the participantsshould be encouraged to share any knowledge they may have. If one personsays something that is obviously incorrect, the trainer may invite comments

on it, thereby encouraging self-correction, before writing it down.

After this, in order to move on to the film, the trainer asks the participants:

What questions would you like the film to answer?Again ideas are written onthe flip chart and the participants are asked to look for the answers to theirquestions whilst they watch the film. This should avoid anyone thinking thisis their chance for a rest!

After viewing

The participants should have the chance to say if any of their questions wereanswered and to discuss their general impressions of what they have seen.This could then lead on to a discussion of more specific topics, ideas forwhich are given below.

Suggestions for Discussion Topics

1. The impact of the law on police work:

The European Convention on Human Rights

is an instrument above national law;

gives legal rights to all individuals; regulates the relationship between the State and the individual;

contains articles with a close and direct link to police work;

raises the question: Do human rights complicate police work?

3. VIDEO: LETS BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

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The Convention for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)

is an instrument which aims to prevent ill-treatment and torture of thosein detention;

requires regular inspections of places of detention (including police sta-tions);

raises the question: What measures can the police take to prevent ill-treat-ment and torture?

2. The use of force and firearms by the police:

How can the use of force and firearms within the scope of police work beminimised?

3. Professional behaviour of police officers. Consider to what extent thesestatements are true of your police service:

To be an efficient and professional police officer is also to be a well-trainedand cautious agent of human rights.

Police officers treat members of the public as they would wish their ownfamily to be treated.

The police co-operates with other partners in the fight against crime.

The police can only work effectively if it holds the trust of the public.

4. Policing a multicultural society:

Is racism a matter of personal conscience?

How should the police deal with refugees and other vulnerable groups?

Is it necessary for members of a police service to reflect the society whichthey serve in terms of gender, ethnic background, colour, religion andsexual orientation?

5. Human rights of police officers:

Do police officers have more rights than other people?

6. Accountability :

How important is an open and transparent police organisation?

What are the measures taken to achieve this? How can they be improved?

Timing

The video itself lasts 22 minutes plus the time taken for the pre-viewingactivity and the post-viewing discussion. The time given to the latter is at thediscretion of the trainer.

Resources

A television and video recorder (VHS). A projection room, if available, forlarger classes.

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Other activities could be prepared by the imaginative trainer to extract more

specific information from the film. The participants could be given a sheet ofprepared questions, which they have to answer whilst they watch the film.These could then be used as starting points for discussions. Alternatively, thetrainer may simply prefer to stop the video at intervals and discuss what theyhave just seen.

Conclusion

The video is intended as an appetiser, to stimulate awareness of humanrights in policing and to make those who watch it want to find out more.


It is possible that participants have misconceptions about the Council ofEurope and its task. These should be dealt with by the trainer.

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Aim

What is the position of the police in society? What is its purpose? This tool

invites participants to think about the role of the police in their own coun-try.


At any point during training or linked with the Role of the Police I and II.Note that in languages where police force and police service cannot beproperly translated, the English terms will have to be explained and used.

Procedure

The trainer asks the group what they think the police should be, a force ora service? Participants who think force are asked to form a subgroup, as arethe participants who say service. The two subgroups are asked to discuss thereasons why they have chosen the one as opposed to the other. They sum-marise their discussion on a flip chart. Afterwards both groups choose aspokesperson to debate the conclusions of the group in an open class forum.

Timing


Resources

two flip charts

two markers

an extra classroom


It is also possible to do this exercise in an open class situation without flipcharts. However, by splitting up into groups more participants will betempted to join in the discussion. The fact that the subgroup work has to bepresented serves as a reinforcer.

When doing the exercise as a full class, the trainer could ask the groups toraise their hands for force or service. They then can try to convince eachother why their own choice is the best. At the end the trainer again can askthe group to raise their hands. If there is a shift in positions, the trainershould ask why this is the case.

In the event that the participants are unlikely to split by themselves into tworelatively even groups, the trainer should consider dividing the class andassigning to each group the task of justifying the use of force or service andthen proceed as above.

4. IS THE POLICE A FORCE OR A SERVICE?

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Conclusion

Both forces and services exist in Europe. However, in countries where ser-

vice is used rather than force, this indicates a conceptual change in the roleof the police in society.


The word force is a military rather than a police concept. However, in somecountries the boundary between the two is sometimes blurred. The trainershould therefore stress the difference between the military and the police interms of power, function and accountability.

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Aim

The aim of discussing perceptions of human rights is to deal with those

which could interfere with training. If any negative perceptions exist, theyare likely to result in resistance. This should be prevented. Only by openlydiscussing them and recognising their existence can negative perceptions bediminished.


At an early stage, although not at the very beginning. It is advisable to usethis tool after numbers 1 and/or 2 unless there are no negative perceptionsin the class, in which case, it need not be used. However, if negative associ-ations exist it is strongly recommended to openly discuss them instead of

allowing them to implicitly influence other discussions.

Procedure

Participants are asked to consider the concept of human rights. The questionis:

If you think of human rights, what associations do you have?

The trainer should stimulate the participants to say whatever they feel aboutthe topic. All answers are written on the blackboard by the trainer. By doing

this, the trainer reinforces active participation in the exercise.The trainer should be prepared to write extremely negative associations onthe blackboard. This has to be done, because if somebody has these negativeassociations, it is more effective to discuss them now than to risk them inter-fering with the entire course of training. However, when these are very neg-ative, the group will almost certainly correct itself. For example, someone hasmade the comment Human rights are a nuisance, but another member ofthe group tempers this with: Well, maybe they are a nuisance, but I guessfor some people in some countries they can be useful too.

Note that this exercise is used to bring negative feelings out into the open.This means the trainer must NOT start defending the importance of humanrights. This will almost certainly have the contrary effect. Trust the groupdynamics!

The trainer writes all the associations on the blackboard in order to stimu-late further associations. In general this will take about 10 minutes.

Possible associations can be:

Human rights limit effective police work.

We cannot catch any criminals any more.

They make it more difficult to get evidence. Human rights only exist for civilians, not for police officers.

No one takes care of our human rights.

Criminals dont deserve human rights.

5. ASSOCIATIONS

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Human rights are based upon Western culture, they are not universal.

Human rights are fine in theory but in practice things dont work thatway.

Human rights are being promoted by people who do not understandpolice work.

We already respect human rights, we dont need special courses.

Its difficult to respect someone who does not respect you.

Human rights are for softies.

At the end of the exercise the trainer must clean the blackboard and takeaway the associations.

TimingThis tool can be done in 20 minutes. However, if there is a lot of resistanceit will take more time.

Resources

All associations must be visible to everyone (during the exercise) for rein-forcement.

blackboard and chalk

or:

flip chart with markers


There are many different ways to do this exercise. It is important to keep inmind the reason behind it ie. to clear away negative perceptions in order toget on with training. One way to deal with this exercise is to ask: How canrespect for human rights interfere with effective police work?

or: What are the disadvantages of respecting human rights?

Other ways to do this exercise: possible perceptions are written on the blackboard and participants areasked to choose the one they agree with most.

possible perceptions are written on the blackboard and the trainer simplyasks the participants what they think of them.

the trainer can give a few perceptions and ask participants to think ofmore.

Note that the trainer can use this tool again at the end of the training to seeif there are any changes in the associations given by the participants.

Conclusion

Human rights are universal.

Human rights protect the rights of civilians as well as those of police offi-cers.

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Human rights do not limit police work more than normal laws do. Policework, by definition, is guided by legal principles.

Human rights guide practice and should not be restricted to some nicewords on paper.

Police work almost invariably involves human rights issues, even in coun-tries where human rights are part of daily routine, violations still occur.


The trainer should stress the world universal in the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights.

The word universal is crucial. Human rights exist for everyone; all cultures,all races, all religions, all professions, both sexes, minorities, criminals, policeofficers, politicians; everyone has the right to rights. If appropriate, thetrainer can talk about the history of human rights. Depending on how thediscussion evolves the trainer can say how the universality of human rightsis denied mostly by the people in power, (especially government officials),who mistakenly believe that this will help them to stay there.

The trainer should make clear that the law does not restrict police work. Onthe contrary, the law makes policing possible. Another argument the trainercan use concerns the fact that human rights also assist police officers. Forexample, by allowing them to establish and participate in a police union or

federation.Finally the trainer can discuss what happens if a police officer is suspectedof committing a crime. S/He is entitled to have his/her rights respected, justlike everyone else. (See Tool 9, Role Reversal).

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Aim

This tool is used to stimulate the art of discussion. Participants have to be

able to defend their point of view. By doing so, they are forced to considertheir attitude towards human rights. It is particularly useful in a situationwhere the group is very passive, because it obliges participants to becomemore active.


This tool can be used whenever the trainer feels the need to stimulate thegroup. If used at an early stage, simple statements are advised. It can then beused again, at a later stage, when more difficult concepts can be discussed.

Procedure

The trainer reads aloud pairs of statements and the participants must choosethe one they believe to be the most important or true. After thinking abouttheir choice, they must be prepared to defend it with reasoned arguments,which should then lead to a general group discussion.

Statements within a pair are not related nor are they each others opposites.Furthermore, one of the statements is neither clearly right or wrong. If it

were, the result would be only politically correct answers, without anyreflection whatsoever. Both statements can be considered acceptable orunacceptable. Neither should be considered to be the right answer. After all,the aim is to generate discussion by making the participants give their rea-sons for choosing one statement above another.

After hearing the statements A and B, the participants make their choice bywriting it on a piece of card. (Alternatively a set of cards could be preparedin advance for each participant, which would make the process quicker). Thecards are collected and quickly counted. The trainer gives the result of the

count and asks what the reasons could be for choosing one over the otherin open class, in order to stimulate a response.

An important point here is the anonymity of answering with cards. In thisway, although they have to justify choosing one statement over the other,they do not actually have to say what they have chosen. Obviously it ismuch easier to defend a statement if there is real conviction behind it, but afew participants may, in fact, choose to argue for the opposite of what theybelieve. If the atmosphere of the group allows, the cards may be omitted andthe participants may be open about what they have chosen, simply raisingtheir hands for an A or B answer.

As all opinions are valid (though they must be supported by reasoned argu-ment, I feel . is not good enough without a reason), a neutral attitude isrequired from the trainer. As with the tools in general, the trainer mustdecide which statements are of most use to the participants.

6. PLAYING ADVOCATE

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Timing

Each pair of statements should be given a time limit of 15 to 20 minutes.

Resources

A set of statements is needed and a set of blank or marked (A and B) cardsfor each participant. The same cards can be used for each statement and keptby the trainer afterwards for future use.


If possible, one idea is to close each discussion with the opinion of someonewho is respected (within the police, the region, the country) about each ofthe statements. This demonstrates that both statements are equally valid andit may even stimulate the discussion which follows more. If the trainerwishes to do this s/he will have to plan ahead by asking these people for theiropinions. An ideal way would be to record their answers, either on video oraudio tape, to play back to the class. However, reading them aloud can alsobe effective. It is interesting to compare the reasons behind the opinion ofthe respected individual with those of the group.

It is possible to make the discussion into a contest. One person who haschosen A is asked to defend his/her statement and one person who haschosen B is asked to do the same. They then have 5 minutes in which to con-

vince the rest of the group that their choice is the best. A class vote is takenat the end to see which statement has the most votes A or B and therefore,who has argued his/her case more effectively and so won the debate.

Another option is to split the class physically. Those who have chosen A formone group and those who have chosen B form another. They choose a rep-resentative to defend their own choice to them. Afterwards, the effect on thegroup can be analysed. Have they found more arguments? Or have some losttheir conviction and want to change groups. How many? On what grounds?

In addition to devising more statements of his/her own, the trainer can alsoset the task for the participants, working together in small groups.

Conclusion

There is no real conclusion as all statements are equally valid and all choicesacceptable. However, the participants are given an opportunity to take acloser look at their own beliefs. What is important to them? And why? Howdoes this relate to their work? In order to stimulate reflections like these, itcan be a good idea to close with some time for personal reflection.

Some questions to guide this reflection:

What values did you discover that guided your choices? Why did youchoose what you chose?

What do you think of that?

Did you discover new things about yourself?

How does this relate to your work as a police officer?

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These cannot be formulated in advance. The trainer should try to under-

stand the reasons people give for their choice. The trainer can react to theseor ask further questions. It is possible that some participants may refuse tomake a choice, saying it is impossible. It should then be stressed that the aimis to stimulate discussion not to make the right choice. This may wellencourage them to participate more fully.

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Statements

A Human rights are universal, therefore the Universal Declaration of

Human rights is more important than the European Convention onHuman rights.

B Human rights violations are more likely to occur during interrogation.

A Since criminals have violated someone elses rights, they have lost anyentitlement to their own.

B Women can never become good police officers as they are not strongenough to carry out all police tasks.

A The bosss orders must always be obeyed.

B A police service cannot be bought.

A If force is used, it should always be because it is strictly necessary and itmust be in proportion to the threat and in accordance with the law andthe regulations laid down.

B A violation of human rights should always be investigated.

A When there is a human rights violation, the police manager is always co-responsible.

B Domestic violence should be dealt with like any other crime.

A One should always try peaceful means first before using force or firearms.

B I sometimes think I need more specialist training to do my job right.

A Lack of financial resources can be used as an excuse to violate humanrights.

B In some instances the police may kill intentionally.

A Human rights violations against political prisoners are less acceptablethan human rights violations against criminals.

B When members of a particular ethnic minority often commit crime itmakes sense that they are then the first suspects when a new crime is

reported.A Leaving the light on in a prison cell 24 hours a day is torture.

B Sometimes the presumption of innocence is not necessary because youknow this person is the perpetrator of the crime.

A When the case is more serious, its okay to try hard to get a confession.

B I sometimes wish I could speak the language of our ethnic minorities.

A The public need to know that the police should be taken seriously, so itsokay to be hard sometimes.

B A police officer should not have to use an interpreter, since all inhabitantsof the same country should speak the same language.

A If a trial takes place in front of an independent judge it is always fair.

B For an emergency house search you can do without a warrant.

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A Freedom of speech is a more important human right than equality.

B When it comes to corruption, management is also accountable.

A It is important that a suspect is able to defend himself. For this, s/heshould know what the allegations against him/her are.

B Juveniles should be prosecuted in the same way as adults.

A A well-organised complaints procedure is an essential condition forhuman rights protection.

B Racism and xenophobia should be prevented and investigated by thepolice.

A In order to maintain public order, its acceptable to restrict someones free-

dom of speech.B Women and men should be treated equally in all cases.

A There should be an independent national authority to which people cancomplain about police behaviour.

B What happens between couples, in the privacy of their homes, is theirbusiness. The police should not intervene.

A A violation of human rights by the police should be investigated by thepolice.

B Juveniles under a certain age cannot be held criminally responsible.

A A code of conduct is useless, since we already have national and interna-tional laws.

B It is impossible to force a woman into prostitution.

A Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like Amnesty Internationalshould not be necessary.

B I never use more force than is strictly necessary.

A If the police manager was truly professional, there wouldnt be any humanrights violations in his/her team.

B International standards, by definition, are an attack on a countrys sover-eignty and should thus not exist.

A Children need extra protection against human rights violations.

B Human rights violations are a result of limited financial resources.

A The press should be allowed to make all opinions public.

B The problem of violence against women is exaggerated.

A Corruption within the police is a result of low pay.

B Freedom of movement is a fundamental human right.

A I never violate human rights.

B When the police seize criminal goods, they should always be dealt with inaccordance with the guidelines and procedures laid down.

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A When it comes to it, a confession is the best proof you can get.

B People should live in their own countries.

A I would never become a refugee. I would try to improve the conditions inmy home country.

B Women suspects should be dealt with by female officers.

A Domestic violence should be dealt with by organisations other than thepolice.

B The police should never act out of political motives.

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Aim

The participants are stimulated to think of reasons why people violate

human rights. They are asked to do so in a general way. Of course, this ismeant to stimulate them to reflect upon their own behaviour and that oftheir colleagues.


Any time during training.

Procedure

The trainer divides the class into several small groups of 3 to 4 people. Each

group is given a flip chart and a marker. Participants are asked to think ofreasons that police officers can give to explain why they have violatedhuman rights. Every group is given a category by the trainer. Within this cat-egory they should think of as many reasons as possible. These are written onthe flip charts.

Possible categories are:

political reasons

personal reasons

economic reasons

social/cultural reasons

This first exercise should take about 20 minutes. After that, all the groupshang their flip charts on the wall. Every group is represented by one person,who presents their flip chart. If the other participants have questions, orcomments, or more reasons, they can share these. This should take about 10minutes per group.

After this the trainer asks the subgroups to take their flip charts again, anddiscuss possible ways of preventing these kinds of human rights violations.So, if the reason is.... it can be prevented by.... This should be followed by

asking them what they themselves can do to prevent human rights viola-tions. This time they will need more time, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Again they are asked to write their answers on a flip chart. This time, anotherperson is asked to represent the group and do a short presentation. Theothers can ask questions. This will take about 10 minutes per group.

Timing

The entire exercise will last about 3 hours.

Resources

For this exercise the following materials are needed:

flip charts for all the subgroups

markers for all the subgroups

7. WHY VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS?

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tape

extra classrooms or one large one with space for the groups to do theirwork.


To save time, the second part of the exercise can also be done directly. In thiscase the trainer asks the person who presents the flip chart of his/her sub-group what can be done to prevent the human rights violations. The trainershould take care to involve the entire group in this question.

After the exercise the trainer can decide to discuss with the entire groupwhether the preventative measures exist in their own situation. If the trainerconsiders it more appropriate to do so, this exercise can also be done as a

whole class rather than in groups.

Conclusion

Human rights can be violated for many different reasons. These reasons needdifferent measures to prevent them.

political reasons

Those in power want to keep it. Sometimes the methods used include intim-idation of their opponents and those who carry it out go unpunished.

personal reasons

The police officer does not like the suspect for whatever reason. It is not aninstitutionalised form of repression but strictly personal.

economic reasons

Corruption, abuse of power, taking someones possessions, investigating acase only when somebody pays for it etc.

social/cultural reasonsThe human rights of a minority are violated and it is considered acceptableto do so. Sometimes human rights violations are not even recognised assuch, for example human rights violations against women.

Different categories of reasons can create different human rights violationsand therefore different measures are needed to prevent them. One thingwhich goes a very long way to preventing the occurrence of human rightsviolations is an atmosphere ofprofessionalism within the police. Their workshould be transparent and the public must be able to evaluate and influence

it. In the end police work must be judged by an independent judicial author-ity. Police officers and police managers must accept that they are account-able for their deeds.

There is a tendency at the moment for the police to work on quality man-agement. In this case the police organisation itself, tries to improve its level

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of quality and thus professionalism. Police officers should not only be eval-uated on how many cases they solve, but also on the quality of their work.One possible way to measure this is by the number of complaints against an

officer.

Furthermore there should be some evaluation of the officers attitude. Thiscan be incorporated into appraisal interviews. His/Her attitude should showrespect for people and for their rights, regardless of race, religion, sex, ethnicbackground, beliefs or language. If a human rights violation occurs, it shouldbe investigated by an impartial, independent body. The results of this inves-tigation should be made public.

To truly represent the society they serve, members of the police should tryto reflectthe members of that society in terms of race, religion, sex etc. This

increases the recognition and acceptance of the police by the public.Of course a countrys legal system should be such that it does not toleratehuman rights violations. If human rights violations are a result of a pureintimidation strategy by a countrys authorities then they can only be pre-vented by internal opposition and/or external force.


It is likely that participants will stress the financial constraints under whichthey have to do their job. This might be used as an excuse for human rights

violations. If this happens, the trainer might try to discuss what humanrights violations are likely to occur because of lack of money, whilst pointingout that lack of financial and other resources cannot be used as an excuse.

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Aim

A dilemma is introduced to the participants, which they may well encounter

in their work. The dilemma is that there are times when human rights areviolated but the reasons appear to be understandable. The aim of this toolis to make clear that what may appear acceptable from a moral or psycho-logical point of view is not acceptable from a legal one.


At any time during training. A good time is when the participants fail torecognise certain examples of behaviour as human rights violations.

ProcedureThe trainer presents this case:

A police officer is interrogating a man who is suspected of kidnapping a 6-year-old child. This child is hidden in an unknown place. The child is in sucha condition that it only has one more hour to live and then it will die. The policeofficer knows that the suspect knows where the child is. How far can s/he go tofind out where the child is being kept?

The discussion should focus on the goal of this police officer as well as thatof police work in general. In this case it is understandable that the police offi-cer will do anything to find out about the hiding-place. S/He is now verylikely focused on rescuing the child rather than trying to solve a case, andbring the suspect to justice. This makes sense. However, if s/he beats the sus-pect up, it is still a human rights violation, even if to a lot of people, it is anacceptable one.

If participants stick to the ethical path the trainer can ask the group:

Would it be acceptable to you if the interrogator slaps the suspect in theface in order to encourage him/her to reveal the hiding place?

How far can s/he go?When participants discuss the interrogators possible courses of action, theywill almost certainly accept the violation of human rights in this case. If so,the question should be:

Do you think this police officer should be prosecuted/punished?

What should the punishment be?

In discussing whether or not the police officer should be punished thetrainer should relate to the concepts of: the punishment should fit thecrime; who is ultimately responsible, and perhaps efficiency.

If appropriate, the trainer can finish the discussion by asking if beating thesuspect will get the right results. The answer is no. After all, the fear of fur-ther physical pain will lead the suspect to tell the police officer anything s/hewants to hear. This is, of course, not necessarily the truth!

8. CAN VIOLATIONS BE JUSTIFIED?

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Timing

About 30 minutes.

Resources

None.


The trainer can change the victim into:

a woman

a member of a minority group in the country of the participants

a foreigner

an 80-year-old, sick man

a known terrorist with a criminal record

Conclusion

Although some human rights violations can be morally acceptable, theynonetheless remain human rights violations. They should all be investigatedby an impartial, independent body, even if punishment of the perpetrator is

not deemed appropriate.


The most likely misconception with this case is that the participants acceptthe use of violence by the officer and, in addition, fail to recognise that it isa human rights violation. That it is so must be emphasised, quoting the legalarticles if necessary.

Another possible argument is that the life of the child is more important thanany human rights violation. However, if a human rights violation is accepted

this time, what happens the next time and then the next? Where do youdraw the line? How do you decide when it is no longer acceptable? This is adifficult discussion. A human rights violation is never legal according tointernational standards. The prohibition of ill-treatment and torture is totaland absolute (Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights).These are irrefutable facts, but in reality they can sometimes be difficult tocomprehend.

Confusion with regard to the use of force may be a problem. After all, inter-national instruments do not forbid the use of force, even lethal force, pro-vided the force used is proportionate to the threat posed and is absolutely

necessary. Some participants might therefore argue that in this case the useof force is acceptable (and legal). However, international standards are notintended to be interpreted in this way. Hurting one person to try and savethe life of another is not their intention. Force can only be used to save lifewhen the danger is imminent.

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It is possible that the participants say they need more information to dealwith this case, in order to get round the problem. The trainer can give asmany details as they need, providing the main substance of the case is not

altered.

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Aim

The aim of this exercise is to challenge the participants to change roles. What

would happen if they themselves were suspected of an offence? How wouldthey want to be treated?


Any time during training. It can be used to assist the participants to identifywith victims of human rights violations, and to remind them of their ownrights.

Procedure

This is short. Suppose you are accused of an offence. (such as unethical

behaviour, a human rights violation, theft, whatever). How would you wantto be treated?

The trainer can ask the group this question and give some time for reflec-tion. It is not necessary to thoroughly discuss it, as the point is clear. Thetrainer can add a further dimension by asking how they would want to betreated if they were a) innocent b) guilty. Does it make a difference?

Timing

About 10 minutes should be sufficient. Of course, the discussion might takemore time. It is up to the trainer whether s/he accepts this or not.

Resources

None.


This topic is ideal for a role-play within a co-operative, confident group. Oneparticipant is a police officer accused of theft. Another participant is a policeofficer doing the interview. How does s/he do the interrogation? What dif-ference does it make if the person accused is a police officer? The other par-

ticipants observe what is happening. The role-play can be made more realis-tic by starting with the arrest. The role-plays could be prepared in smallgroups and then performed for the rest of the class.

Conclusion

The conclusion should be that human rights exist for everybody. Indeed,everybody wishes to be treated with respect. Showing respect increases thelikelihood of co-operation.


This exercise might trigger stories about colleagues who were accused ofsomething and who were mistreated. Some examples are likely to be blamedon poor management. If these stories are forthcoming, the trainer should letthe participants share their experiences and opinions without agreeing ordisagreeing with them.

9. ROLE REVERSAL

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Aim

This tool is used to make participants think about gender perceptions. What

do men think of women and the other way around?


Anytime during training. This tool is effective as a means of focusing on atti-tudes towards minority groups. Note that it needs a mixed sex class, in a pro-portion of at least 30% of one sex and 70 % of the other for this tool to beeffective.

Procedure

The trainer takes two flip charts. On the one s/he writes: Men are.... On theother s/he writes Women are... The class is divided into two groups. One ofmen, the other of women.

The men are asked to fill in the Women are .... flip chart and the women theMen are .... flip chart. They can write anything they like. When they are fin-ished, after 15 to 20 minutes the two groups come together again andobserve each others flip charts. Then the men discuss the flip chart aboutmen and the women the one about women.

Each group selects the 5 statements they agree most with, about their own

group (so, the men pick the 5 statements about men and the women aboutwomen), which they indicate on the flip chart. These are discussed by bothsexes in open class.

After this the trainer asks the class to share their thoughts. What did theythink of this exercise?

Note that the trainer should stay with the group of his or her own sex!

Timing

The total exercise will take about 60 minutes.

Resources

For this exercise one needs:

Two flip charts

Markers

Tape

Two separate rooms

or Blackboard and chalk.

If these materials are not available it can also be done on pieces of paper, butthis makes a collective exercise more difficult.

10. STEREOTYPES

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This tool can easily be adapted to minority groups of any kind, be they polit-

ical, ethnic, religious or otherwise, providing such a mixture occurs naturallyin the class (at least 30% of the class should belong to the minority group).

Conclusion

We all have pre-conceptions about people who are different to us. Theseideas influence our behaviour and attitude towards them. It is interesting toexamine them to try and understand how. Everyone is an individual, not astereotype of their race, sex, religion etc. Not all women behave like a typi-cal woman, not all Jewish people behave like a typical Jew, there is, in fact,no such being.

In the police, female officers are still a minority working within a dominant,male majority. For this reason, they can sometimes be considered as tokens.American sociologist Rosabeth Moss Kanter explains that according to thetoken theory,a group of people who form less than 15% of an organisationare seen as tokens ie. they are not considered as individuals but as repre-sentatives of their group. Because of this, existing prejudices and stereotypedideas about women in general are targeted on individual policewomen.

Hopefully, as a result of this exercise, the class should have increased anunderstanding and perhaps tolerance of each other, which they can extend

to the world outside.


Perhaps participants will say they cannot do this exercise because theycannot give such general statements. However, this is not true, we all knowexamples of stereotypes, particularly our own national one!

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Aim

The aim is for the participants to see the civilian as a customer of police ser-

vices. What do people expect from their police officers? What conditions areneeded to trust the police service? How can the police improve its quality?


Any time in the second half of training, though it follows on well from Isthe Police a Force or a Service? (Tool 4). It is advisable to do this exercise ina small group of no more than 8.

Procedure

A civilian is invited to come to the classroom and discuss his/her expecta-

tions of the police with the participants. The participants should prepare forthis visit and think about the questions they wish to ask the civilian. Thepolice normally come into contact with civilians in the following situations:

in a demonstration

when a crime is reported

when a civilian is a witness

when a civilian is a victim

when a civilian is a suspect

The trainer can also discuss the different categories of civilian with whomthe police usually have contact:

journalist

doctor

teacher

politician

Timing

Altogether this tool will take between one and a half and two hours. Note

that the participants need time for preparation (about 30 minutes), thenabout one hour for the discussion with the guest and some time for feed-back/reflection.

Resources

Of course, a civilian willing to come along as a guest. This could be a repre-sentative of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or a member of a com-munity group or indeed anyone the trainer considers suitable.


If the class consists of more than 8 participants, it should be divided intogroups and more civilians invited. After the group work, all participants andcivilians should come together in a plenary session to share their experi-ences.

11. TALK TO THE CUSTOMER

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Another set-up could also be used, where, several civilians are invited to sitin different rooms, or in different corners of a room, to be interviewed bygroups or group representatives who have to complete an assignment set by

the trainer.

Conclusion

This exercise should result in an increased understanding between thepolice and civilians, who both want to live in a society where they feel safeand secure. The conclusion is that the police is there to serve society. Not theother way around. When society loses faith in the police, the police has lostthe reason for its existence.

The police should realise that they rely on the co-operation of civilians to be

able to do their work. After all, it is often civilians who provide the informa-tion the police need. But it goes even further than that. Police officers shouldrealise that working in partnership with the civilian community has valuableresults. The police cannot fight crime on its own anymore, particularly withthe growing influence of organised crime.


Some participants may have difficulty with the idea that civilians are theircustomers and may instead view them all as potential criminals, whose onlydesire is not to co-operate with the police. They should be reminded that

although police officers, they too are civilians, as are their partners, theirchildren, their friends.

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Aim

To enable participants to associate potential human rights violations with the

daily reality of police work.


In principle, any time during the course. It can be particularly helpful in agroup which is too focused on the theoretical and philosophical aspects ofhuman rights or in one which exhibits reluctance to acknowledge thathuman rights violations occur in policing. The cartoons can also be used forReal Life (Tool 13).

Procedure

The trainer explains the aim of the tool and emphasises that for this exercisethey must use their imagination and nottheir own work experiences. Theyare free to be as fanciful and creative as they like. This should create a reas-suring rather than confrontational atmosphere in the class.

For each cartoon s/he wishes to discuss, the trainer should ask for a volun-teer storyteller. Each volunteer is given a copy of a cartoon, without anyoneelse seeing it, and then goes out of the room for about 5 minutes, to preparea short story of about 5 minutes duration. The story should answer the fol-lowing questions:

1. What is happening in the cartoon?2. What human rights violations can you see or can you imagine might be

happening or about to happen?

3. What will happen to the person(s) in the cartoon?

Whilst the volunteer tells the story s/he has prepared, the cartoon should bevisible to the other participants, ideally by means of an overhead projector.However, if none is available, an enlarged copy of the cartoon could be stuckon the board. When the story is finished, the participants are asked for theiropinion eg. Could this ever really happen? Any discussion should be kept

brief. Then the next volunteer tells his story and so on.

Timing

Varies, depending on how many cartoons are used. The trainer should use asmany cartoons as s/he can in the time available.

Resources

Cartoons (see Appendix ). One copy for each volunteer and a copy to showto the whole class.

PaperOr

A copy of each cartoon on transparency

An overhead projector

12. CARTOONS

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Alternative ways to use this tool

Instead of telling a story from the point of view of the observer, it could be

told from the point of view of the civilian in the cartoon or from the point ofview of the police.

Conclusion

An apparently neutral situation in which the police are involved can stilleasily result in fundamental breaches of human rights.

Police officers often do not realise that what for them is an everyday situa-tion is a very threatening experience for civilians.


Police officers can feel offended by the negative image of the police por-trayed in the cartoons. The trainer can answer this by saying that extremeimages are often necessary to illustrate a point effectively.

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Aim

For participants to reflect upon their own experiences and their own work-

ing environment. They are invited to take a closer look at their own behav-iour.


This tool can be confronting and can thus create a lot of resistance. It isadvisable to use it at a later stage in training (but not on the final day!). Thetrainer must use his/her judgement. Sometimes potential resistance can bediminished by open discussion eg., the trainer can ask participants how theyfeel about doing this exercise. Whatever the groups reaction, some timeshould be set aside for discussion about the exercise itself.

Procedure

The trainer explains that the aim is to reflect upon human rights violationsof which they have personal experience, NOT to find out who committedthem. In so doing, they will learn much from these real experiences. Allexamples put forward will remain anonymous and they are asked not to dis-cuss any of the cases outside the class.

Everybody is asked to take some time (about 5 minutes) to think about ahuman rights violation they have encountered in the course of their work. Itcan be something they saw themselves, something they heard about, orsomething they were involved in.

When everybody has written down a case, the trainer collects them anddivides the class into smaller groups. A case is then selected by the trainerand handed to each group. Discussion could be stimulated by writing the fol-lowing questions on the board for groups to refer to:

What human rights were violated here?

How did colleagues who were aware of it respond?

What was the effect of police culture / group culture on the case? How common is this kind of case in your country / region / organisation?

How could this case have been prevented?

Change this case to make the behaviour acceptable. What has to bechanged?

How should one deal with this situation in accordance with national andinternational legal standards?

As with all group work, the trainer should monitor progress by going roundfrom group to group, encouraging participation or reviving a flagging dis-cussion by asking pertinent questions.

After all the cases have been discussed, each group can briefly report backtheir findings in open class. If time is short only the most controversial/diffi-cult/common case could be chosen. Again if time allows, the class can dis-

13. REAL LIFE

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cuss how they felt during this exercise. Finally, the trainer should thankthem for their openness and co-operation.

Timing

This depends on the number of participants and therefore the number ofcases to be discussed. However, a time limit should be set for each case toenable all to be discussed and also to maintain the pace of the training ses-sion. Around 15 minutes should be allocated to each case (it is not vital tostick rigidly to time limits, the main reason for setting them is to motivatethe participants to get on with it). The feedback session at the end will alsodepend on the number of groups and cases they have to report on. Thetrainer must decide how to make the best use of the time available.

Resources

For this exercise it is important to have enough space for all the groups tohave some degree of privacy in which to hold their discussion. A blackboardis also required on which to display the questions, or the trainer can readthem aloud and each group can simply write them down.


If everyone feels confident with it, the trainer can ask individuals to giveexamples of human rights violations which they themselves have commit-ted. In this case the leading question is: Think of a situation in which youyourself violated a persons human rights.

If the group is not mature enough, or not safe enough, the trainer coulddecide to do the exercise by giving an example of his/her own. However, thismeans that the aim of the exercise to reflect upon ones own experiences will be lost. The trainer must decide if this option, being the only one opento him/her is better than not doing the exercise at all.

The question could, quite literally, be turned around: Can you give an exam-ple of behaviour you have encountered in your work which showed a high

respect for human rights? The same procedure could then be followed as forthe original question.

Conclusion

It is difficult to talk about personal experience of human rights violations.After all, it is behaviour which is unacceptable. However this exercise makesthe point that human rights violations happen in real life.

Another significant factor is the so-called blue wall of silence. Police officersdo not grass on each other. This is a dilemma. What do you do if you see a

colleague doing something wrong? Should you be loyal to him/her or to thesociety you serve? Loyalty to ones colleagues is crucial within police cultureafter all, out on the streets officers have to be able to trust one anotherimplicitly. However, this loyalty should not be used as an excuse for tolerat-ing the intolerable.

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Obviously, it is better to prevent human rights violations from occurring inthe first place, perhaps by ensuring a professional management team is inplace as a first measure.


It is possible that some participants might claim to have no practical experi-ence of human rights violations at all. Since this is highly unlikely, it shouldbe taken as a sign of resistance to doing this exercise. Rather than trying toconvince them that they must have knowledge of at least one case, it wouldbe better to address the reason for their resistance: I have the feeling thatyou find this exercise difficult/a waste of time/irrelevant. Is this true?

It is also possible that some members of the group have witnessed human

rights violations which they have failed to recognise. In this case, the trainerwould have to give some examples of minor cases to illustrate the point. Ors/he could re-phrase the question: What kind of unethical behaviour haveyou seen?

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Aim

To assist the participants to reflect on the dilemmas they face in their every-

day work and how they resolve them.


Anytime during training.

Procedure

The class should be told that they are going to play a game. They have to getinto groups of 4 and each group will be given a set of open-ended cases,

which they have to resolve individually, taking it in turns. They shouldchoose who will be A,B,C and D. If A goes first, then B,C and D will judge Assolution and award points for it.

The first case is read aloud to the rest of the group by A, who considers hows/he would resolve it, and presents his/her solution to the group. The groupthen challenges A to defend his/her course of action by asking pertinentquestions, the more difficult they are, the harder it will be for A to defendhis/her position. Some examples of questions to ask accompany each case.

After the discussion, B,C and D confer together and award points for Ascourse of action, up to a maximum of 3 in eachof the three categories:

a. respect for human rights

b. short term effectiveness

c. long term effectiveness

A maximum of 3 points indicates that the course of action was perfect andthat A conducted a well-reasoned argument in its defence. Otherwise thenumber of points awarded should be 1, 2 or even zero. As points are

recorded. A new case is selected and the whole procedure is repeated, withB going first and being challenged by the rest of the group. Then it is the turnof C and finally, D. When all the cases are finished (to be fair, each memberof the group must resolve the same number of cases) the points can betotalled and the winner can be established. By asking them to identify whowon each category within the group, the participants would also be encour-aged to evaluate their performance and identify their strengths and weak-nesses.

The groups return for class feedback, when the winners can be announcedand participants can express their feelings about the game eg. What did they

learn from it? Were the cases convincing enough? How could they beimproved? Is the game itself worthwhile?

Note: It might be useful to have a demonstration of how to play the gamefor the whole class before they divide into groups to play it.

14. DILEMMAS

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